Hammond considers dropping planning board members

HAMMOND – The Town Council will decide next month whether to add two new members to its joint Planning Board with the village.

When two members five-year terms expire at the end of the year, the Planning Board will be left with seven members. And thats still a sizable amount, according to Planning Board Chairman Ronald Papke.

For a small town, the size of our Planning Board is rare, Mr. Papke said. Many other small towns have five members. Ideally, I say we could do well with or without adding new members. Things have been fairly quiet and going well.

Unlike many planning boards within the county, Mr. Papke said, Hammond does not struggle with volunteer and attendance issues.

It was a problem in prior years where the attendance was a little sparse, said Mr. Papke. At least this past year, we have not had any significant problems.

Planning board members are paid a $30 stipend per monthly meeting.

Its not about the money so much as it can be difficult to find qualified, available and trained volunteers, said Town Supervisor Ronald W. Bertram. We need at least five members to hold a quorum. When members are absent, it can be difficult to fill those spots.

The board already has one vacancy, Mr. Bertram said.

The Town Council will decide whether to keep the two soon-to-be-vacant Planning Board seats at its Jan. 8 meeting.

Beginning in January, the biggest issue facing residents will be St. Lawrence Countys newly imposed $25 fee for site plans and subdivision applications, Mr. Papke said. Previously, applications were free.

Under certain circumstances, requests for subdivisions or site plans for approval will be reviewed by the county planning department for a fee, Mr. Papke said. Not every request goes to the county, and there are some exemptions.

But site plan applications are not to be confused with a simple building permit, he said.

Moving a single mobile unit or adding onto a site doesnt require site plan review, he said. It is for bigger type projects like establishing a business, and somebody who wants to subdivide or make two lots out of one.

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